


how far

by Areiton



Series: Without Words - Stony Love Confessions [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationship, Character Study, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Running, Steve is so soft for Tony, Tony's flightsuit gives me feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24446659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Areiton/pseuds/Areiton
Summary: He runs. It reminds him of when he couldn’t, and how far he’s come
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Without Words - Stony Love Confessions [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748689
Comments: 2
Kudos: 118





	how far

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the few days off, y'all, life hit pretty hard this week. Have some fluff to make up for my absence.

The truth is--Tony hates running. 

He doesn’t understand Steve’s obsession with it, the way he’ll leave their bed, and go chase the sun around Central Park for a few hours almost every day. Steve explains it, once, the way it makes him feel, when his muscles burn from exertion and his lungs bellow, that tight almost can’t breathe feeling that’s close to what he felt when he was small and sick and  _ couldn’t  _ breathe. 

This isn’t like that--this is a facsimile of that, proof he’s alive, proof of how far he’s come, and he chases that feeling more than anything else, when he runs and runs and runs. 

Tony doesn’t actually get it, but then Steve doesn’t expect him to. He has Sam to run with him, and Bucky, sometimes, though Bucky likes Clint’s bed a helluva a lot more than the cold trails and says that HYDRA put him through enough training to last a few lifetimes. 

Steve made a sad puppy face at that, and Bucky’d sighed and run with him for three days before Clint shot arrows in his running shoes and threatened to put an arrow in Steve if he came for Bucky before noon. 

Steve runs with Sam, and he’s happy with that. He knows it’s not Tony’s thing. Even on the morning when Sam is in DC or visiting his sister in New Orleans, Steve manages to find someone to run with, until the serum outpaces them. 

But there are mornings--rare, and sweet for that--when he comes out of their room and Tony already there, vibrating from a night in the shop, twitchy and manic. When he’s already dressed in skin tight running pants and a loose shirt that he stole from Steve’s side of the closet, bouncing on his toes in sneakers that are dirty and old and comfortable. 

Steve never says anything, those mornings, as they run through the Park and the sun comes up and the pictures, invariably, are snapped, of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, laughing and sweaty and running, Tony’s face set in an adorable little scowl, an easy smile on Steve’s lips. 

He runs slower, limits himself to three miles because Tony refuses to do more than that, and the pleasant burn in his chest, bright and full, is better than the burn in his muscles. 

He runs. It reminds him of when he couldn’t, and how far he’s come, and when Tony smiles at him, manic and distracted and beautiful and doing something he  _ hates _ because it makes Steve smile--he doesn’t need that. 

Because Tony--beautiful, brilliant, selfishly generous--is everything he never thought he’d have, as much as running is, and when he crowds Tony, sweaty and grinning, against the elevator wall, and kisses him, gets his hands on Tony’s ass through those damn thin leggings--he burns, a hot delicious burn that reminds him of how very far he’s come. 


End file.
